Review: John Wilkes Booth – Sic Semper Tyrannis [2008]

Long Island unit John Wilkes Booth create a mountainous yet delectable wall of sonic overload on their latest 15-track affair, the viscous SIC SEMPER TYRANNIS. Heavy and crushing yet never remiss to keep their excessive slabs of doom-laden boogie rock memorable (“The Inner Workings”), tracks like “Eye Rack” and “Hey Girl” simultaneously stomp you in the gut and stick in your head for days thanks to the infectious guitar hooks and unique vocal delivery over the dastardly rhythm section’s voluminous exhibitions. This is an album chock full of desert rock dynamic shifts, stoner rock subtleties, and hard rock harangue with an attention to detail and a keen sense of musicianship steering the ship, as these titans of tinnitus take their self-professed style known as dirt rock for an unbridled journey through the timelines of underground metal’s elite noise mongering squads. If you dig the likes of bands that still set the benchmark for left of center metal excellence such as Clutch, Kyuss, and Jesus Lizard, John Wilkes Booth will be your new favorite band. www.jwbooth.net –Mike SOS